A 16-year-old Jamaican high school student, Jahmari Reid, was killed by a shark attack, with his body discovered in waters north of Jamaica. Reid, from Trelawny parish, had gone spearfishing alone on Monday. Fishermen found his body the next day with injuries consistent with a shark attack.
Since 1749, Jamaica has had only three unprovoked shark attacks, according to the International Shark Attack File. Globally, there were 69 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks last year, resulting in 14 fatalities. Australia had a high number of fatalities and accounted for about 22% of the world’s unprovoked shark attacks in 2023.
Recent incidents include a surfer losing his leg in Australia in July, and the death of surfer Tamayo Perry in Hawaii the month before. Additionally, a young fisherman was killed by a shark in Mexico in January.
